Channelsea Community Islands: Growing Roots and Floating Habitats

Come and join us to learn more about how inter-tidal ecologies function, and how they are threatened, their importance to the wider eco system, and how human-made floating habitats can have a positive local ecological impact. We know our rivers are polluted and need cleaning, so a floating habitat acts like a ‘liver for the river’, cleaning the water whilst also engaging us all in thinking about the waste materials that enter our water systems and developing ways we can combat this.

ON THE DAY

MORNING SESSION:

> Meet at the riverside planters located just off the Greenway, adjacent to Abbey Mills pumping station.

PLEASE USE THIS MAP LINK (the eventbrite link goes to slightly the wrong place!) - https://goo.gl/maps/kZnJiafLKJEkrewz5

What 3 words: wasp.hugs.trout

> Experiential talk with

Getting up close with some mud samples, talking about tidal environments, pollution and restoration possibilities.

Kate Spencer is a Newham resident and Professor of Environmental Geochemistry at Queen Mary's University. As an environmental geochemist she works across disciplines to provide fundamental science to underpin effective management of fine sediment in estuaries and lowland rivers. Her principal research interest is in understanding the source, distribution and behaviour of sediment-bound contaminants and to quantify how this is impacted by natural disturbance, anthropogenic management and restoration activities.

Walk together along the river to where we will spend the rest of the day

> Talk & discussion by

Simon will tell us about his experience of remediation work on the salt-marshes in Kent, and lead a conversation around the issues being faced, and the future of these kinds of environments and the possibilities of remediation, with particular attention to an inter-disciplinary approach.

Simon is a visual artist and Associate Professor of Fine Art at Middlesex University London. He has a particular experience and active engagement in estuary management schemes and the community benefits of a healthy intertidal salt-marsh environment (through years of living on a boat and working on the waterways in Suffolk). He is particularly interested in leading a discussion about the future of these kinds of environments and the possibilities of remediation, with attention to an inter-disciplinary approach.

AFTERNOON SESSION:

Discussion, research and ideas sharing in groups, generating design ideas for three more floating habitats for the Channelsea river.

Accessibility

The riverside planters have ramped access off the Greenway, 100m from Canning Road. There are no toilets on site.

The walk to House Mill is around 1 mile long along the riverside path.

The venue at House Mill is accessible via lift, however in accordance with fire safety at the building you will need to be accompanied if you are unable to walk unaided.

For any access requirments please get in touch with Charlotte:

[email protected]

Any other questions please get in touch with us at [email protected]

SAVE THE DATE: March 12th

Following the discussion and ideas day Surge Cooperative will gather the ideas together to create the final designs for the islands, to be built in a workshop on March 12th - save the date!

This project was voted for by Newham residents, as part of the Newham Co-Create Community Assembly fund.

Host or Publisher Surge Co-operative